2010 Ford Taurus SHO named Esquire Car of the Year
2010 Ford Taurus SHO – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Ford Taurus hasn't even hit the market yet, but it's already beginning to win props from the press. Esquire has entered the award fray by picking the new Taurus SHO as its inaugural 2010 Car of the Year. The long-running men's magazine has three criteria for its award: terrific ride and handling with plenty of speed; attractive sheetmetal that elicits stares; and an attainable price point. Editor-in-chief David Granger says that the SHO hits all the marks, as the twin-turbocharged Ford was the unanimous winner amongst Esquire editors.
Esquire correspondent (and Automobile Magazine columnist) Ezra Dyer added that the SHO was a good every day driver that "happens to have a secret under the hood." We're pretty sure 365 horsepower is enough juice to fall in the 'sleeper' category. Ford is, for obvious reasons, pleased with its latest piece of hardware, adding that "we trust that customers will be equally impressed."
Oh, and before you ask ('cause we did) – although the Taurus SHO hasn't hit the market and the official media drive hasn't happened yet, Esquire did manage to secure a drive of the car before they handed out the award, although it isn't immediately clear what other cars were considered for the award. Interestingly, the magazine's article apparently doesn't actually delve into the area of driving impressions, so Ford says it was copacetic with the pre-embargo coverage. Us? We'll finally get our chance to flog the SHO very soon, but we've promised the Blue Oval not to tell you about it until late July, so you'll have to wait. Hit the jump to read Ford's press release.
Gallery: 2010 Ford Taurus SHO
[Source: Ford]
PRESS RELEASE:
2010 FORD TAURUS NAMED ESQUIRE'S INAUGURAL "CAR OF THE YEAR" FOR MEN TO DRIVE, EVERYDAY
DEARBORN, Mich., June 10, 2009 – Esquire magazine editors evaluated nearly a dozen significant new cars – using some unique subjective criteria – before naming the 2010 Taurus SHO as its inaugural Car of the Year. The article appears in the magazine's July issue, on newsstands today.
"We had three main criteria in selecting the Esquire Car of the Year," explained David Granger, editor-in-chief. "The vehicle needed to be a pleasure to drive and be capable of shortening your breath when you slam down the pedal. It needed to be gorgeous and aggressive, capable of eliciting stares and gawks. And it needed to be attainable – a vehicle that most men actually can buy and drive. The new Taurus SHO nailed all of these parameters."
Competing with some of the best luxury sedans in the industry, Taurus SHO was the editor's unanimous choice.
"The reason we care about the new Taurus can be boiled down to four words: Looks good, goes fast. With a 3.5-liter turbo V-6, dubbed EcoBoost™, you get V-8 power with V-6 fuel economy," said Esquire automotive correspondent, Ezra Dyer. "The SHO is a sleeper – a vehicle you can live with every day, that happens to have a secret under the hood."
The response from the Taurus team?
"We're thrilled and honored with this award," said Frank Davis, executive director, Ford North American Product Programs. "Taurus – and the SHO model honored here – are Ford's flagship sedans. We trust that customers will be equally impressed."
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
Christian de Saint Preux 5:02PM (6/10/2009)
Se ve bien!
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Farmboy 5:02PM (6/10/2009)
Congratulations to the 2010 Taurus. I wonder what the other cars were. Still this car has a certain appeal to it.
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Sean 5:03PM (6/10/2009)
I'm pretty sure at least one Autoblog employee just shat bricks.
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Pengwin 5:06PM (6/10/2009)
how much is an SHO supposed to cost, $40,000?, 35? attainable my ass, a lamborghini is "attainable". they should cap it at $30k.
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Serge 5:52PM (6/10/2009)
Whoa boy... what full size (200"+) car with 350hp can you buy for $35k-$40k? That much dough will get you an AWD V6 Passat, fully optioned Avalon or an AWD TL... and those ox-carts sell well!?!?
The new Taurus seems like a well made, attractive and powerful car (especially in the SHO trim). If you personally don't like it, then please finish the Cool-Aid and rest... forever.
Pengwin 6:08PM (6/10/2009)
"It needed to be gorgeous and aggressive, capable of eliciting stares and gawks. And it needed to be attainable – a vehicle that most men actually can buy and drive"
for $40k, i'll take a 370z, G37 sedan or coupe,IS250/350, WRX, WRX STi, Legacy GT, 328i, 128i...list could keep going.
the criteria never said it had to be "full size"
Matt 6:12PM (6/10/2009)
Pengwin:
The car will START at an outrageous $38K. It can be optioned up with all of Ford's gimmicks, to $45K.
I would wait a year though. After sitting on the lot for that long, dealers will be giving them away for 20-25K...which is a much more realistic price for a Ford Taurus.
Mike E. 6:18PM (6/10/2009)
@Serge - How about a Dodge Charger R/T for $31k with 375HP? Or a Pontiac G8 GT with 361HP for $31k?
arturo 6:54PM (6/10/2009)
@Penwin.
I recommend you to go back to your polar climate, where all u need is glide trough the ice. Obiously you are not in the market for a full size sedan neither am I. But those who are the Taurus better be on there list.
JohnV 7:03PM (6/10/2009)
Arturo - This isn't the Taurus....this is the SHO
Those in the market for a full-size car should look at several options including the Avalon, Genesis etc. (This market has pretty much dried up with SUVs - with the exception of the very expensive entries from BMW, MB, and Audi) But this is supposed to be about a sporting car - when was the last time you gawked at a full size sedan that wasn't an AMG S-class or Maybach?
Pengwin 7:39PM (6/10/2009)
@arturo
i agree, i am not in the market for a full size but esquires criteria never said the car had to be full size.im criticizing the fact that there are many other cars for the same amount of money that much better fit the criteria
Serge 9:23AM (6/11/2009)
@Mike E.
I love both the Charger R/T and G8 GT... however they are not as big as the Taurus, nor do they have such nicely made interiors. However if burning rubber is your thing then go fr the R/T or is taking corners is a bigger priority then the G8 GT has no match at it's size and price range. With that said, the Taurus SHO represents the a balance that is fast, big and comfy... at least on paper. We'll just have to see how that works in the real world.
P.S. the G8 is the car for me though... if I didn't want it's two door sister that is.
Cellien 5:08PM (6/10/2009)
Impressive.
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Berto 5:18PM (6/10/2009)
No surprise there, this thing is awesome.
It should of arrived a long time ago... it's what many had been asking for.
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RamblinReck89 5:29PM (6/10/2009)
Their approval of men wearing scarves indoors kinda takes some validity out of this award.
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ugg.tryptophan 5:57PM (6/10/2009)
not a fan of esquire style, but their taste in cars is good
verytuscan 5:36PM (6/10/2009)
The new Taurus sure deserves a spot right behind the Honda Accord.
Congrat
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Protzenegger 5:48PM (6/10/2009)
If by "behind," you mean "ahead of," then yes, indeed it does.
Serge 5:59PM (6/10/2009)
Accord? You have to be kidding me... the fact that it's at least 10" shorter and has 100hp and 100lb-ft torque less than the Taurus SHO didn't cross your mind?
And I would love to see what would happen if you were to get in to a head-on collision with one of these 4000lbs beasts... in your 3200lbs Accord. I be the results would be worse than the Smart vs C300 test that was shown earlier. I can't believe people drink so much poisoned Cool-Aid...
Matt 6:12PM (6/10/2009)
Not the Accord...behind the Sonata.